The Myth of Friday the 13th

In today’s world, the phrase "Friday the 13th" rolls off the tongue, instinctively linked to bad luck and strange happenings. Everyone knows Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day. But why does it have such a bad reputation? 

The origin of fears surrounding Friday the 13th is unclear. According to folklorists, there is no written evidence for a "Friday the 13th" superstition before the 19th century. The earliest known documented reference in English occurs in henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini (an Italian composer best known for the opera "The Barber of Seville"), who died on a Friday 13th. 

The Thirteen Club Registration Flyer

One theory states that Friday the 13th is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that 13 is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. In 1881, an organization called the Thirteen Club was started in an attempt to improve the number's reputation. The 13 members of the group walked under ladders and spilled salt at the first meeting in an attempt to dissuade any negative associations with the number. Despite these efforts, the number 13 continues to have an unlucky association to this day. Thirteen is so disliked that many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue, many high-rise buildings avoid having a 13th floor, some hospitals avoid labeling rooms with the number 13 and many airports will not have a gate 13. 

In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of divine organizational arrangement or chronological completeness, as reflected in the 12 months of the year, 12 hours of the day, the 12 deities of Olympus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus, the 12 successors if Muhammad in Shia Islam, 12 signs of the Zodiac, the 12 years of the Buddhist cycle, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners. 

Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century's The Canterbury Tales, and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus on the Friday before Easter. The connection between the Friday the 13th superstition and the Knights Templar was popularized in Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code and in John J. Robinson's 1989 work Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry, and also in the Maurice Druon historical novel series Les Rois Maudits (English translation The Accursed Kings).

Jacques de Molay sentenced to the stake in 1314,
from the Chronicle of France

On Friday, 13 October 1307, hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested in France, an action apparently motivated financially and undertaken by the efficient royal bureaucracy to increase the prestige of the crown. Philip IV was the force behind this ruthless move, but it has also tarnished the historical reputation of Clement V. From the very day of Clement V's coronation, the king falsely charged the Templars with heresy, immorality and abuses, and the scruples of the Pope were compromised by a growing sense that the burgeoning French State might not wait for the Church, but would proceed independently. It is further said Jacques de Molay, Magister (Master of the Knights of the Temple) cursed King Philip IV of France and his descendants from his execution pyre. As he was about to be executed, he appealed “from this your heinous judgment to the living and true God, who is in Heaven”, warning the pope that, within a year and a day, he and Philip IV would be obliged to answer for their crimes in God’s presence. Philip and Clement V both died within a year of Molay’s execution. However, experts agree that this is a relatively recent correlation, and most likely a modern-day invention.

The fear of Friday the 13th has been called friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named in English and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen.

(Information courtesy of Wikipedia.com. Thank you!)

Honey Moon

A full moon over Greece's Temple of Poseidon in June 2008.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY AYIOMAMITIS, TWAN

Skywatchers will get a special treat as a full moon occurs tonight, Friday the 13th, something that hasn't happened in June since almost a century ago, in 1919. Known as the Honey Moon, as well as the Strawberry Moon or Rose Moon, the actual full moon occurred very early Friday morning, but will still be nearly full when it rises in the east Friday evening. 

With the sun's path across the sky at its highest during this month of the summer solstice, the moon is at its lowest, which keeps the lunar orb close to the horizon and makes it appear bigger and more amber (hence the name Honey Moon) than other full moons this year. The amber colors are due to the scattering of longer wavelengths of light by dust and pollution in our atmosphere. 

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the name Strawberry Moon name comes from the fact that it's strawberry season, and Algonquin Native American tribes knew this was the time of year to gather the ripening fruit. 

This is the first time since Oct. 13, 2000, that a full moon has occurred on a Friday the 13th of any month, and the last time it will happen until Oct. 13, 2049.

The superstitious may want to steer clear of black cats this Friday the 13th, but venturing outside very early in the morning will be worthwhile. Enjoy the spectacular sight of the full Honey Moon in the night sky, I know I will! 

In today’s world, the phrase "Friday the 13th" rolls off the tongue, instinctively linked to bad luck and strange happenings. Everyone knows Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day. But why does it have such a bad reputation? If you want to learn more about where the superstition of Friday the 13th comes from, read my sequel blog The Myth of Friday the 13th.

Murano Island - A Glassmaker's Paradise

Murano Glass Factory
(photo courtesy of The Golden Fingers)

A few years ago my husband and I had the chance to revisit Italy. Of course, we couldn’t miss Venice as one of our stops along the way, and among all the other tourist attractions like San Marco Basilica, Rialto Bridge, Grand Canale, Palazzo Ducale, a classic concert in Piazza San Marco and countless museums, we took a tour of the lagoon, Murano Island included.

Since 1291, this tiny Venetian island has been the home of Venice's glassmaking industry. Murano is actually a series of islands linked by bridges in theVenetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about 1 mile north of Venice, accessible by boat only, and measures less than 1 mile across with a population of just over 5,000.

Murano Channel (photo courtesy of Travel Via Italy)

Murano’s reputation as a center for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and the destruction of the city’s mostly wooden buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano.

Murano’s glassmakers held a monopoly on high-quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk  glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano still employ these centuries-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass jewelry to chandeliers and wine stoppers.

Murano Glass Factory (image courtesy of Lin Thorsen)

Venice kept protecting the secret of the production of glass and of crystal but the Republic partially lost its monopoly at the end of the sixteenth century, because of some glassmakers who let the secret be known in many European countries. Today, Murano is home to the Museo del Vetro (Murano Glass Museum) in the Palazzo Giustinian, which holds displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.

Some of the companies that own historical glass factories in Murano are among the most important brands of glass in the world. These companies include Venini, Ferro Murano, Barovier & Toso, Simone Cenedese and Seguso. Today, in order to protect the original Murano Glass art from foreign markets, the most famous Glass Factories of this island have a trademark - "Vetro Artistico Murano" - that certifies products in glass made in the island of Murano. 

Colors, techniques and materials vary depending upon the look a glassmaker is trying to achieve. Aquamarine is created through the use of copper and cobalt compounds, whereas ruby red uses a gold solution as a coloring agent.

Murano Millefiori Glass Bowl (image courtesy of Fossilfly Imports)

The murine technique begins with the layering of colored liquid glass, which is then stretched into long rods called canes. When cold, these canes are then sliced in cross-section, which reveals the layered pattern. The better-known term "millefiori" is a style of murrine that is defined by each layer of molten color being molded into a star, then cooled and layered again. When sliced, this type of murrine has the appearance of many flowers, thus mille (thousand) fiori (flowers).

Filigree, glass engraving, gold engraving, incalmo, lattimo, painted enamel, ribbed glass and submersion are just a few of the other techniques a glassmaker can employ.

Special tools are essential for Murano artisans to make their glass. Some of these tools include borselle (tongs or pliers used to hand-form the red-hot glass), canna da soffio (blowing pipe), pontello (an iron rod to which the craftsman attaches the object after blowing in order to add final touches), scagno (the glass-master's workbench) and tagianti (large glass-cutting clippers). The tools for glass-blowing have changed little over the centuries and remain simple. An old Murano saying goes "Good tools are nice, but good hands are better," reinforcing the artistic nature of the glass-making process, which relies on the skill of the worker rather than the use of special tools. 

Murano Glassmaker (photo courtesy of Megan Cytron)

(Information courtesy of Wikipedia.com. Thank you!)